khawk20

That makes sense if the Roadies are "special attractions" on those cards, and not regulars in the area.

Charlie Fulton over Rene Goulet sticks out, too. Sheik/Volkoff over the Samoans? Did they face each other on Afa's way out? Is this the only match between the two teams?

I'm thinking the numbers in some of the main cities like St. Paul and Chicago were down quite a bit throughout 1985, while the Warriors were still around. Maybe they went down further after they left, but I think the decline in attendance was already in full swing and them sticking around wouldn't have stopped it. It really would have come down to what opponents came in to feud with them...if the program was compelling, they would have drawn. But, IMO, they stopped drawing by themselves in the AWA way before then.

Roadies were a decent attraction when they arrived in the summer of 1984, through the end of 1984 and the first little bit of 1985. The Fabs program was pretty big. Their arrival did conicide with a ton of things going on in the AWA at the same time, however...the build towards the Brody-Blackwell feud, Martel winning the title and facing Bockwinkel in his first significant title defenses, and the slightly-earlier arrival of the Fabulous Ones stick out. The Roadies were *the* big summer arrival in the AWA, and were showcased and promoted as such. Combos with the likes of Steve O/Curt Hennig/Brad Rheingans/Jim Brunzell were perfect feeder teams for the arriving LOD. They were not the only draw, however...they were part of several compelling storylines going on from the spring through the end of the year. Once you got to 1985, they ran out of compelling opponents after Slaughter and Blackwell in February of 1985, IMO. Save for Super Clash against the Freebirds and a High Flyers program in Winnipeg, there wasn't much for fans to get excited about. The LOD's style didn't change, and it limited their effectiveness as a draw once their opponents were placed in the "no-hoper" category by the fans paying to see them. Blackwell-Bundy was a legit challenge. Ditto Slaughter-Blackwell, and The Fabulous Ones. The Hennigs were not. the Long Riders were not. Garvin and Regal were not (which is why I appreciate the way they switched the belts using them...nobody saw that coming). The AWA loading up in 1984 was great (**Insert cheap plug to check out my 1984 AWA set**). 1985, by comparison, was a disappointment, IMO.

RIP. Very sad.

That just makes me angry. Not that the Bock-Hennig love doesn't surprise me as it's been a long-time beloved match, and I do think it is great...but I doubt it would be my number 1. I can think of at least two matches off the top of my head that I enjoy much more. Just sayin'.

So....this: !

We'll know for sure the day Flair croaks. I think he'll get coverage over and above Bearer myself, personally. I can say that a large number of people that do not watch/like/associate with pro wrestling that I know talked about Bearer's passing after it happened than I thought ever would know or care who he was, enough that it legitimately surprised me. His character was memorable enough that those same non-wrestling people said "I remember that guy" a lot, which at least shows me that at points, WWE and possibly WCW were big enough that people with no interest in it were exposed to it enough through other means that it made an imprint.

$10.25 in 1985 dollars would still have been decent cash, I think. Not bank-breaking, of course, but still something to consider for lower-income people and families. Minimum wage back then in Canada was $3.15, for example.

Would be a good "round-robin" style dvd like BostonIdol used to make...Savage, Martel, Bockwinkel and....Lawler, maybe?

Given how much I like both guys, this disappoints me greatly.

"Who are 6 guys that have never been in my kitchen?"--Cliff Claven (That's what I would have had to ask if you hadn't framed that into it being, you know, an actually-has-happened match. Holy jeez...)

I'd like to read more about the Texas Hangmen's run. I have some footage of their time in Puerto Rico, and they seemed to do pretty well there. I'd also like hear if you have any information on the talent exchange pipeline that occurred between the WWC and International Montreal in the mid-80's, or your recapping how it went in a general context. I have read some stuff on it, but that was some time ago. It was beneficial on Montreal's end from what I saw, but I'm not sure how it was going the other way.

I can work with this. I'll accept Bret-Steamboat as a personal moment of recognition instead of something that is more widely recognized as the point of "his big step". Those rare house show matches, where you knew that nothing "big" was really going to happen, that grabbed your attention and actually had you guessing about how things were going to play out even though you know how they will play out, always really stand out for me.

I think calling S.L.L. a shit-stirring troll in his latest bow-out post qualifies, no? See also the jdw "lo and behold" line. You don't post lines like that without expecting to continue the conversation, IMO.

You say this a lot. You never seem to mean it.

This, and I too, am a former hardcore Happy Days fan. For me, Happy Days decline = AWA Decline. Show wasn't the same after Ritchie and Ralph left. AWA wasn't the same after 1987 for a variety of reasons. I still watched, and it wasn't all bad by any means, but it was the hardcores watching the AWA in the last few years, too.

Is it fair to say that this was the coming out party for Bret as a potential singles star? He was a heel tag wrestler, wrestling a top-end face, so he should have no hope of winning, as per WWF matches of the day. By the end, I suspect many (like myself) actually thought Bret might score the upset. Bret made you notice him, his potential as a singles star, and what the future might hold for him in this match. I don't think I could be the only one that took that kind of notice the first time I saw this bout. There was no surprise for me at how high he ended up going later on after seeing this match.

That DVDVR thing happens almost once a week at some point or another. Check back later.

As a fan of Happy Days, that comparison is pretty much bang-on.

That's cool. I loved those things, there was a lot of bits of info in there that I knew nothing about beforehand.

Perfect, if Rene Goulet is the referee.

This Zbyszko's history of the AWA that jdw keeps mentioning sounds....frightening.

It aired on WWE Classics a while back. It's out there.

I just can't see that at all.